Materials
Choice of Three Materials
Buckstop Bumpers are built to be used and abused. The bumper is fully intended to protect the vehicle through an optimal balance of strength and weight. Buckstop Truckware is a full engineering and manufacturing facility with all operations in-house. Custom designs are available as well as special materials. Buckstop works in standard carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel.
CARBON STEEL
The main-stay of Buckstop's heavy-duty, high strength top quality Bumpers
Carbon is the basic steel from which most things including most bumpers are made. It is very difficult to dent in animal strikes and resilient in other collisions. Buckstop bumpers for full sized rigs are 1/4″ steel in the primary impact zone and winch center and 3/16″ steel under the headlights. Half ton full size vehicles are 3/16" throughout.
- The advantages of Carbon Steel are low cost and its ability to absorb impact.
- A typical 3/4 ton full-sized bumper with grill guard weighs approximately 220lbs.
ALUMINUM
Light-weight aluminum engineered to maintain Buckstop's tradition of brute strength
Aluminum is a favorite choice in cases where weight is critical. To maintain Buckstop's standard of strength, the aluminum bumpers are 3/8" thick in the primary impact zone and winch center and 1/4″ steel under the headlights. The geometry and gusseting is enhanced as well. The aluminum bumpers use steel mounting to the frame and steel Grill Guard tubing where the bumper is especially vulnerable. In addition, the 2" trailer receiver is a steel bolt-on configuration. It could easily be made lighter, thinner, and without so many features, but it comes at the cost of strength.
- The advantage of aluminum is a weight savings of 90lbs over steel and a resistance to corrosion.
- Finish – the aluminum bumpers are powdercoated just like steel.
- A typical 3/4 ton full-sized bumper with grill guard weighs approximately 130lbs.
STAINLESS STEEL
Maximum strength. Maximum corrosion resistance.
Stainless steel is a higher strength material than regular steel that will essentially never rust.
- The advantage of stainless steel is excellent resistance to corrosion.
- Finish – the stainless steel bumpers are powdercoated just like steel.
- A typical 3/4 ton full-sized bumper with grill guard weighs approximately 220lbs.